Our team is growing. If you happened to call the office this week, you may have heard a new voice on the phone. We are pleased to announce that Chivon Pedersen has joined the team. She lives in Lexington with her husband Josh and three sons. Two years of experience as a patient care coordinator with a local retail hearing care facility is making the transition to a private practice audiology clinic an extremely easy one. Chivon’s timing was perfect as Diane needs to cut back on her hours here to help with family issues…but do not worry, she is not leaving us. Jamie will be moving into the office manager position now that her son Lucas has his driver’s permit. Proud that the team is growing so we can properly care for our Hearing Solutions Family members.
I greatly appreciate you taking your time to read my articles and this month I would like to share an experience that I fear will happen again and again.
Approximately two months ago a friend and neighbor texted me on a Saturday asking for help. I immediately called her to learn that her father was using loud power tools in an enclosed area and immediately noticed a significant change in his left ear hearing ability. Thankfully, I had an opening that Monday morning, so we scheduled a hearing evaluation.
His hearing test showed that he has moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears. His ability to detect sound (beep-beep tone test) was the same in both ears, but his ability to understand in his left ear had decreased to only 12%. The loud exposure resulted in acoustic trauma that affected clarity, not detection. We discussed the fact that when his hearing stabilized that we recommended hearing treatment with the use of amplification. He agreed and we immediately sent him over to see Charis Bostian, FNP at Pinnacle Ear, Nose, Throat & Allergy for a consultation. He was prescribed a round of steroids which is the protocol for a sudden sensorineural change in hearing.
The following month, I tested him again. As expected, his beep tone test results did not change, but his clarity did improve to 48%. He was making progress; therefore, it was beneficial to try one more round of steroid. I saw him again this past Monday. His clarity did not show any more improvement. The final option available in hopes of obtaining additional clarity was a steroid injection directly in the ear which he decided not to have done. It was time to schedule a Functional Hearing Assessment and start his hearing rehabilitation with the use of hearing aids.
At that point he had informed me that he had purchased a set of over-the-counter hearing aids online. They were uncomfortable and did not provide benefit, so he decided he was not going to do anything to improve his communication ability with his family. Remember, OTC devices are designed for those that have perceived mild hearing loss…not the moderate to severe loss he has. I knew I had to choose my words carefully…he needed prescriptive hearing aids. We are the hearing healthcare providers to assist him through his journey to better hearing, not something he chose online; a one size fits all with no professional assistance.
We had a long talk, and he finally agreed to schedule a Functional Hearing Assessment. His soft-spoken wife was giving me the thumbs up as his hearing loss affects her more than him. His daughter thanked me stating that we had established a good rapport and that he trusts me.
Over-the-counter hearing aids have their place. The reading glasses for hearing, but I caution you to not make your decision on the benefit of amplification until you have had a complete diagnostic evaluation from ear to brain and work with a professional hearing healthcare provider to guide you through your journey to better hearing.
If you would like more information or to schedule an appointment, give Jamie, Diane or Chivon a call at 704-633-0023. Remember to like us on Facebook and visit our website at www.hearingsolutionsofnc.com. Dr. Mussler, Jane, Cheryl, and I look forward to seeing you soon.